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Photo: World Fighting League

Melvin Manhoef aims to bring back the old days of the annual K-1 World Grand Prix with his new project, WFL: The Final 16.

Manhoef, founder and matchmaker of the promotion, presented the first round-matchups for the October 29 event on Tuesday which will make up the undercard of his kickboxing retirement bout with Remy Bonjasky.

Manhoef tells MMA Plus he hopes to make the tournament a yearly thing in his organisation and get to the same level as the Japanese organisation used to in the 90’s and beginning of the new millennium: “I wanna bring that feeling to Holland. In Japan, all the best K-1 fighters were Dutch guys. If we can have the same thing here in Holland, I think it will be great because everybody can watch it.

“You know why? Because before, when Ernesto (Hoost) or Peter Aerts won the K-1 in Japan, they were very well-known there, but not in Holland, because it wasn’t in Holland. I think if it’s gonna be in Holland and somebody here wins the tournament and wins a lot of money, I think everybody will see that. It’s gonna be broadcast live on television, so I think it’s a very good point to build it up in Holland.”